Sinn Féin spokesperson on Justice Pa Daly TD has said that rising crime figures reflect Fine Gael’s ongoing failure to deliver on policing.

Analysis of crime figures undertaken by The Irish Independent suggests rising crime rates, including 119 out of 564 Garda stations recording a five year peak in 2022.

Stations in Cork, Limerick and Waterford were among those with the highest increases.

Teachta Daly said: 

“These figures suggest a worrying rise in reported crime across many areas.

“This includes serious crime, such as homicide, theft, extortion, assault and harassment.

“Fine Gael have held responsibility for the Justice Ministry for twelve years now and during this time they have undermined the police service through poor leadership and a failure to plan and invest.

“Garda numbers are too low. Government have repeatedly failed to address this. The Garda Representative Association have warned that targets to recruit Gardaí have already been missed so far this year. Morale within An Garda Síochána is also worryingly low.

“I am concerned that the rises in crime appear to be particularly common in areas with a rising population. It is clear that the number of Gardaí is not keeping pace with population growth.

“Communities deserve to feel safe and protected, but in too many instances people fear that the Gardaí are overstretched and will be unable to help them when needed. Fine Gael have been soft-touch on crime and have failed to support the police service to do their jobs properly.

“Today’s figures must serve as a wake up call for the government to get its act together and protect communities from crime.”